Biz Warriorshttps://bizwarriors.com
Adam and Matthew Toren
Wed, 13 Mar 2019 04:33:34 +0000 en-US
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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.1The Two Major Factors Driving the Bitcoin Cash Surgehttps://bizwarriors.com/two-major-factors-driving-bitcoin-cash-surge/
https://bizwarriors.com/two-major-factors-driving-bitcoin-cash-surge/#respondSun, 20 Aug 2017 02:00:29 +0000https://bizwarriors.com/?p=912As of this writing, Bitcoin Cash is valued at nearly $900 per coin, up almost 400% in about a week. That kind of movement isn’t uncommon among altcoins, but we haven’t seen this sort of surge in one of the primary coins for quite some time. So, what’s causing such a spike in value for Bitcoin Cash?

If you watch the crypto markets at all, you’ve heard a lot of buzz about Bitcoin Cash and its meteoric surge. As of this writing, Bitcoin Cash is valued at nearly $900 per coin, up almost 400% in about a week. That kind of movement isn’t uncommon among altcoins, but we haven’t seen this sort of surge in one of the primary coins for quite some time. So, what’s causing such a spike in value for Bitcoin Cash?

First, Some History

To understand what’s going on with Bitcoin Cash, we need to go back a little bit to the beginning of August, when Bitcoin Cash split off from the main Bitcoin blockchain. There’s a lot of history leading up to that point, but to make a long story short, a prominent group of Bitcoin miners and developers decided to adopt software with new network rules that were not compatible with Bitcoin. This group split off (or “forked”) from Bitcoin and formed Bitcoin Cash, among a certain amount of controversy and conjecture about if this was a good move or not.

Well, it seems that at least initially, the markets have spoken, and this move has now made Bitcoin Cash the third largest cryptocurrency by network value, only behind Bitcoin and Ethereum. So, at least in the minds of many traders, Bitcoin Cash is a viable currency with plenty of staying power.

But what has traders excited about Bitcoin Cash that’s driving the price up so aggressively? And will this rise continue? It’s impossible to say for sure just how much staying power Bitcoin Cash has, but we can talk about what’s causing its surge.

Factor #1: Miner Madness

For any blockchain to be successful, it has to attract miners who are willing to devote computing power to securing its ledger. It’s one of the beauties of blockchain, but it’s also one element that makes it unpredictable. When the fork happened on August 1, it was unclear how easy or difficult it would be to mine Bitcoin Cash. As it turns out, it started with a higher level of network difficulty compared with Bitcoin, which means miners were not earning as much as they would mining traditional Bitcoin. However, that difficulty level began decreasing when Bitcoin Cash hit around the $300 mark.

A major factor in its quick rise is the fact that the difficulty level has continued to drop, and as of this writing, it looks like Bitcoin Cash is going to be more profitable to mine than traditional Bitcoin. That’s huge. The more miners are mining a currency, the better it does, in general, and if miners are earning more from Bitcoin Cash, the miner pool will continue to grow, and the value will continue to rise – to a point.

Factor #2: Exchange Volume

As expected, upon the fork taking place, trading volume of Bitcoin Cash was initially low. While Bitcoin is widely traded through a number of exchanges, Bitcoin Cash was only adopted by a few major players in the beginning. So, what changed to increase volume? In a word (2 words) South Korea.

In one day, the most active trading day yet for Bitcoin Cash, 56% of the total volume, or nearly $1.2 billion, was traded on a few Korean exchanges. These exchanges, Bithumb, Coinone and Korbit, accounting for such a huge showing indicates at least a regional heavy support of Bitcoin Cash, and that has been enough to help boost the volume elsewhere, and the price.

So, for anyone watching and wondering what the heck is happening, that’s what’s going on with Bitcoin Cash. No one knows what the future holds for this cryptocurrency, but if this past week is any indication, it’s going to be a wild ride!

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/two-major-factors-driving-bitcoin-cash-surge/feed/012 Strategies That Will Keep You Afloat When Business is Slowhttps://bizwarriors.com/12-strategies-will-keep-afloat-business-slow/
https://bizwarriors.com/12-strategies-will-keep-afloat-business-slow/#respondTue, 17 Jan 2017 08:00:48 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=660As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, very few businesses’ fiscal years are entirely steady. It’s normal for every entrepreneur to experience a period in which business is slow, marketing efforts don’t seem quite as effective, and new customers and clients are a little tougher to acquire. And while these slow periods do normally […]

]]>As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, very few businesses’ fiscal years are entirely steady. It’s normal for every entrepreneur to experience a period in which business is slow, marketing efforts don’t seem quite as effective, and new customers and clients are a little tougher to acquire. And while these slow periods do normally end on their own, there are certain steps you can take to soften the blow and continue to build your company until things improve.

Below are twelve strategies we’ve employed when business got a bit slow. Some helped us improve our businesses while we had the extra time; others allowed us to minimize costs until sales picked up again. Choose one or two that are best for your business, and you’ll be out of your rut in no time.

Remember the bigger picture.

Times may be tough right now, but they won’t always be. The worst thing you can do during a slow patch is panic—you’ll only lose your bearings and make impulse decisions, which can hurt your business in the long run.

It’s important to stay calm and positive while you navigate any business obstacle, but when sales are slow, reminding yourself of the bigger picture is key. Take time to reflect on your business’s successes, including when you’ve overcome similar troubles. Remember why you started your business in the first place; if you did it to solve a problem or improve people’s lives, you’ll probably continue to achieve those goals once your lapse in sales is over. It wasn’t always easy for us to bring new users to YoungEntrepreneur.com before it took off, but when we remembered why we started the forum in the beginning, we were able to coast through our difficulties.

Remain open-minded.

The problem may lie with your commodity, your business practices, or your marketing techniques. It’s hard to admit when something you’re proud of isn’t perfect, but remaining open-minded is crucial to saving your business. Double-check your advertising campaigns, the way you interact with customers, and other business practices to ensure that they’re working in tandem with your goals. If they aren’t, you may need to consider trying something new.

Find out whether the problem is internal or external.

A decline in sales can come from two different places: from within your business or outside of it. Determining whether the problem is internal or external can help you decide what next steps will benefit your business the most.

The most common external factor that affects sales is a change in market. Maybe you provided a niche product before, but now there are tons of options for consumers to choose from. Perhaps people no longer need your service the way it’s currently offered. When the market fluctuates, it’s a good idea to reassess what your customers and clients need, then adjust your product or service to follow suit.

Internal problems aren’t necessarily easier to fix, but they can be simpler to identify. If you’ve slacked in the marketing department, people may be hearing about your service less and less, causing a gradual decrease in sales. If there’s a quality control issue, past customers may be reluctant to return to your business. The way you get over a drop in sales changes dramatically depending on where the problem lies.

Add value to your business.

To build intrigue in your audience, you may need to add value to your product or service. This means going the extra mile to make your commodity something your customers won’t only like, but love.

One simple way some businesses build value is through increasing the speed at which a service is completed. If you sell a product, you may want to ship orders sooner or pay a bit extra for faster postage. Consumers love instant gratification, especially when they’ve spent a significant amount of time researching a product or service before paying for it. Reducing their wait time is a relatively easy way to add value to your business.

You can also make your commodity more impressive by giving it an added bonus. If you sell jewelry, you may begin offering only ethically-sourced gems; if you run a marketing agency, you may offer thirty days of complementary analytics after a campaign is done. That extra touch may just be the final “push” it takes to get consumers to settle on your product or service.

Cut unnecessary expenses.

Almost every business pays for something frivolous. And we aren’t just talking about the ping-pong table that makes your office cool or the catered lunches at the end of each month. Instead, we mean you may want to consider how much you spend on a blog few people read, a pricey domain you’re sitting on but can’t see yourself using, or a co-working membership when you could easily do your part from home. While it’s nice to have these luxuries and they often make us feel more successful, you’ll breathe a lot easier when you lose the expenses that aren’t essential your business.

Pay attention to patterns.

Is this the second holiday season in a row that has affected your business? Have you noticed fewer sales over the summer every year since opening? Some industries, like tutoring and tax preparation, are directly affected by the seasons. Others, like edtech (busiest during the school year) and interior design (packed just before Christmas), are more subtly influenced by the time of year. But tutors, accountants, edtech innovators, and designers still manage to stay in business—they’re just smart about how they operate.

If you can predict a slow period before it begins, you can soften the blow ahead of time. Maybe that requires pushing for more sales before the lapse arrives. It may involve scheduling projects further in advance to make sure gaps in business are sufficiently covered. Not every business’s slow periods are foreseeable, but if yours is, you’d benefit from working ahead.

Show appreciation to your existing customers.

Entrepreneurship 101: It costs far more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an old one. It isn’t just about the money, either—think about how much time it took for you to earn your first few sales. If you don’t show appreciation to the customers you already have, they’ll wander off, leaving you with nothing during a slow patch.

The ways in which you can show gratitude to your customers are virtually unlimited. Simple thank-you emails and notes after each purchase can do the trick; some businesses even choose to throw in coupons for follow-up purchases. Interacting with customers and clients on social media can make them feel valuable—and at the same time, you’re building brand familiarity. Find a method of displaying appreciation that fits your business’s style, then employ it to retain your current customers.

Work on the business, not in the business.

During particularly lucrative periods, it’s easy to get caught up in playing a hundred different “employee” roles instead of truly working on your business. A slow period may just give you the time you need to improve your business at its core.

Instead of busying yourself with upkeep, take the time to build your business from the ground up. You can finally work on your storytelling skills, which will help you in your marketing efforts and give your brand a better image. You can build better relationships with those in your entrepreneurial community—you never know when they’ll be able to lend a helping hand. When you’re given the time, separate yourself from your day-to-day duties to spend a moment working on your business.

Seek a mentor.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help when you’re struggling. Some entrepreneurs seek mentorship when they’re first starting their businesses; others look for guidance when they feel a bit stagnant and need a boost. Maybe you never needed a mentor before, but now you feel it’s a good time to learn from someone more experienced.

How you choose to seek a mentor is up to you. You might have a certain person from your community in mind, or you may have no clue where to start. There are websites that match startup owners with mentors (like SCORE and MicroMentor), or you might have a local group that can help you. Web forums, like our very own BizWarriors forum, are fantastic places to build connections with other entrepreneurs who have varied experience. Regardless, the benefits of a mentor are ongoing. With their advice, new perspectives, and techniques, you may even find that your business is stronger because of its lapse in sales and not in spite of it.

Create a points system or referral program.

This one combines two different strategies: customer appreciation and adding value to your business. Customers and clients love to feel like they’re building an ongoing relationship with a business, and a points system will remind them that you can’t wait to have them back. It will also stretch the value of their dollar: each purchase they make brings them one step closer to a free or discounted product or service.

A referral program tells your existing customers that you appreciate their business and their recommendations. Businesses like Postmates and Uber do this particularly well; for every referral an existing customer makes, that customer receives $10 off their next total. The new customer also receives $10 off their first purchase. Considering how Postmates runs over 7,000 deliveries per day and Uber counts over 15 million monthly active users, the strategy is pretty reliable.

Plan for a busier future.

We’ve already said it, but we’ll say it again: this slow patch won’t last forever. And when it finally ends, you’ll need a bulletproof plan on how to take advantage of the change in pace.

When sales are slow, you have a bit of extra time to prepare for the future. Maybe you know you have a busy season ahead, so you ready extra products for shipment. You might simplify your personal calendar for next month so you can work late on your business if you need to. Don’t scramble to regain your footing when the pace picks back up; instead, prepare for success in advance so you’ll be ready to receive it.

Partner up with other businesses.

Positive B2B relationships don’t just strengthen your local entrepreneurial community. They also provide excellent opportunities for you to share your best customers. A simple social media shout-out from another startup in your industry can deliver hundreds of new leads; collaboration on a project can merge your audiences.

One of our recent articles, “10 Tips on Building Better B2B Relationships,” offers some great suggestions on how to foster productive partnerships with other businesses. One of our strategies might just be the one you needed to break through a lapse in sales.

Any gap in business is discouraging, especially when you’ve put your heart and soul into your startup. But a can-do attitude goes a long way, and with the right techniques, you’ll be busy again in no time—possibly even more so than before. What strategies have you employed when business was slow?

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/12-strategies-will-keep-afloat-business-slow/feed/010 Tried-and-True Tips on Building Better B2B Relationshipshttps://bizwarriors.com/10-tried-true-tips-building-better-b2b-relationships/
https://bizwarriors.com/10-tried-true-tips-building-better-b2b-relationships/#respondTue, 17 Jan 2017 00:22:59 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=653When you own or run a business, customers aren’t the only ones with whom you need to build a great rapport. Positive business-to-business (or B2B) relationships can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to expanding your social media following, generating new online and walk-in leads, and improving your business’s overall reputation. These ten tips are […]

]]>When you own or run a business, customers aren’t the only ones with whom you need to build a great rapport. Positive business-to-business (or B2B) relationships can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to expanding your social media following, generating new online and walk-in leads, and improving your business’s overall reputation.

These ten tips are ones we’ve used to build and maintain effective B2B relationships through our own ventures. Try them all or use a few that are best for your business—you’ll form those valuable exchanges in no time.

Be transparent about your needs and wants.

Any business worth building a relationship with will understand that the relationship is mutually beneficial, not just for their advantage. When you reach out to another business, be sure to mention the benefits on both ends of your proposal, not just theirs. This sets the stage for collaboration free of miscommunication, and prevents both you and the other party from putting time and energy into a relationship that may not be worthwhile.

Take a genuine interest in the other business’s success, not just your own.

One of our latest ventures, TechAZ, allows us to work directly with several local startups. When we form long-term relationships with those startups, we always find something we can do to help them get on their feet. Whether it’s by adding their events to our event calendar or featuring their latest product in an article, we don’t just consider the benefits our business will experience—we also do our best to drive traffic to their site or doors. This collaborative attitude and effort ensures that we’re holding up our end of the relationship, and (if we can say so ourselves) makes working with us a blast.

Understand that the benefits may not be immediate—and that it may be better that way.

Don’t stress if new customers are quicker to flock to the other business than they are to come to you. A truly effective B2B relationship is long-term, so your efforts may take a little while to be rewarded. And definitely don’t step away from the relationship just because they’re seeing results first; you’ll have wasted a lot of time and effort, and it will make you look greedy or impatient.

Build the relationship at all levels.

Who says a great exchange can only exist between two founder-CEOs? The most effective B2B relationships cross multiple—or all—levels of each business, making for a stronger and more communicative alliance overall. Even if you and the other CEO continue to meet for lunch, encourage your content creators, techies, and social media masterminds to collaborate on different projects.

Leverage social media.

Leveraging a public platform not only solidifies your B2B relationship, but also brings customers into the picture more naturally. If your customers already trust your business, they’ll love to see your relevant recommendations on their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter feed. Try giving another business a “shoutout,” reviewing or photographing their product, or announcing a collaborative project to your followers, and encourage the other business to do the same.

Share your best customers.

If another business’s product or service perfectly complements your product or service, tell your customers about it! It’s the ultimate way to improve your relationship with that business, and if your products or services truly complement each other, they’ll be able to do the same for you. You’re also proving to your customer that you have them in mind by referring them to a business that suits their needs.

Communicate well and often.

Every business’s needs change, but some change faster than others. Your B2B relationships will begin to falter if you and the other party never revisit and adjust your goals. To keep your exchange going strong, make it a point to communicate well and often. This means checking in to see how the other company is doing; candidly conveying your business’s goals as they adapt; and being honest when a joint effort doesn’t go quite as planned. We do a lot of this at TechAZ, and not only does it keep us up-to-date on collaborative project opportunities, but it’s nice to chat, too.

Make your B2B relationships a priority.

Much like a personal relationship, B2B relationships need to become a priority if you want to make them work. We aren’t saying you should dump your other responsibilities and focus solely on your B2B relationships, but it should at least be a regular item on your to-do list. Answer calls and emails in a timely manner; keep up with your social media duties; and refer new customers as you find them. If other levels of your business are involved, check in with them often to make sure everything’s running smoothly. You don’t want the other business to think you’re dropping the ball.

If you share a local community, work together to improve it.

From a customer’s point-of-view, few things are more impressive than a business that puts in extra effort to improve its community. One of those few things, however, is a business that works with other businesses to improve its community. How you do it is your choice—host a neighborhood event, fundraise for a charity, or even start a nonprofit—but regardless, you’ll accomplish a great deal. Your business and the other will grow closer, and you’ll make the world a better place.

Put partnerships on paper.

Whether your B2B relationship is a casual one or one based on strict guidelines, you can benefit from putting it down on paper. Writing down your goals and intentions (and the other business’s) will clear up any confusion on what the relationship may entail. Just like a business plan, what you write will guide you when you feel a little lost, and it’s something you can update as each business’s goals change.

Positive, effective B2B relationships have a variety of benefits, and you never know where one might take you. What techniques have you used to build better B2B relationships?

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/10-tried-true-tips-building-better-b2b-relationships/feed/0Top 5 WordPress Appointment and Booking Pluginshttps://bizwarriors.com/top-5-wordpress-appointment-booking-plugins/
https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-wordpress-appointment-booking-plugins/#respondSat, 06 Aug 2016 14:00:25 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=602Got places to go and people to see? Quit adding every appointment manually to your calendar and use a handy WordPress appointment or booking plugin instead. The right plugin will make you more accessible to clients and impress newcomers who visit your site. Take some weight off your shoulders by installing one of our top […]

]]>Got places to go and people to see? Quit adding every appointment manually to your calendar and use a handy WordPress appointment or booking plugin instead. The right plugin will make you more accessible to clients and impress newcomers who visit your site. Take some weight off your shoulders by installing one of our top 5 WordPress appointment and booking plugins.

Bookly

Bookly is a gorgeous WordPress plugin that allows for full customization and quick, easy use. With Bookly’s internal form builder, you can build the booking table that perfectly fits your business. Synchronizing with Google Calendar allows you to seamlessly connect your new appointments with established ones so you never miss a booking. Customers and clients can (with your permission, of course) select a preferred team member, timeframe, service category, and more with Bookly’s neat forms. It’s never been easier to schedule a meetup.

Why we like it: Customers and clients can pay for the service they book directly after booking it. Bookly’s forms accept major credit cards and PayPal to make your site accessible to as many patrons as possible.

Price: $46

Team Booking

Team Booking is the newest and most minimalist of our top five appointment and booking plugins. It also comes with some of our favorite features. By logging into WordPress, site administrators and business owners can view a neat list of confirmed and unconfirmed bookings (and if that isn’t convenient for you, Team Booking also connects with Google Calendars). You can set up automatic redirects to help convert newer clients after they’ve made their first reservation. If multiple people on your team take appointments, site visitors can view availability calendars for each staff member to pick a time that works for them and your business.

Why we like it: We don’t really like how easy it is to cancel an existing reservation with Team Booking, but it does help to improve the experience for customers and clients.

Price: $22

WooCommerce Bookings

WooCommerce Bookings is a powerful WordPress plugin with a worldwide fanbase. It’s perfect for dynamic businesses and startups with changing needs: WooCommerce Bookings’s countless features help you customize the booking experience down to the last detail. As an admin, you have the choice to create fixed reservation time slots or leave length open-ended. You can offer multi-person discounts for groups who book services or rentals with your business. You can even decide if you’d like to approve reservations before making them permanent, and you’ll receive email notifications when a customer or client makes an appointment on your site. There’s no doubt your customers and clients will be impressed when they book a reservation with your business.

Why we like it: Despite its rich features, WooCommerce Bookings is easy to tweak and customize within the WordPress dashboard. No training or experience necessary.

Price: $249

BirchPress

BirchPress is a wonderful option for entrepreneurs and startup partners on the go. With text and email reminders of upcoming appointments, you’ll never forget a prior arrangement again. BirchPress syncs your appointments with Google Calendars, iCal, Outlook, and your Android or iPhone calendar so you don’t have to go out of your way to view your schedule. Though simple in design, BirchPress is a great addition to virtually any site offering reservations or rentals.

Why we like it: BirchPress is developer-friendly. Site owners (or their handy web guys) can incorporate filters and action hooks into the BirchPress form without ever having to touch the plugin’s core code.

Price: $75 personal; $150 business; $200 business+; $300 developer

Appointments+

It takes as little as three clicks for customers and clients to create a reservation with Appointments+. Client contact info is easily accessed via the WordPress dashboard, making confirmations and follow-ups a breeze. Blackout dates show site visitors when you’re busy, closed, or no longer offering a service. With a little less torque than other booking plugins but all the right features, Appointments+ is perfect for small- to medium-sized businesses.

Why we like it: Unlike its competitors, Appointments+ offers a 14-day free trial so you can decide whether the plugin is right for you.

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-wordpress-appointment-booking-plugins/feed/0Top 5 To-Do List Appshttps://bizwarriors.com/top-5-list-apps/
https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-list-apps/#respondThu, 04 Aug 2016 14:00:44 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=595Entrepreneurs are responsible for any and all tasks related to starting a business, and there’s no better way to keep track of those tasks than with a good old-fashioned to-do list. Of course, one stuck to our beloved devices would probably benefit us . . . and so would one that lets us designate the […]

]]>Entrepreneurs are responsible for any and all tasks related to starting a business, and there’s no better way to keep track of those tasks than with a good old-fashioned to-do list. Of course, one stuck to our beloved devices would probably benefit us . . . and so would one that lets us designate the occasional task to others. These 5 to-do list apps let you build the lists of your dreams.

Todoist

Image by iOSTipsAndTricks.biz

Todoist is insanely popular—if you don’t worship it, you at least love it. With apps for more than ten different platforms, this program handles to-do lists for today, tomorrow, and as far into the future as you need. Productivity is easy to track with color-coded progress graphs and goal-setting features. Todoist is also great for teams: not only can you designate tasks, but you can talk about projects with other Todoist users in real-time.

Why we like it: With so many platforms, it’s easy to add—or check off—a task anywhere, anytime.

Price: Free personal account; $27/year for premium

Remember the Milk

With Remember the Milk, not only will you always have your to-do list on hand, but you’ll also receive reminders to complete certain tasks based on time, priority, or location. Tagging makes it easy to organize tasks by category; subtasks let you get as complex with your to-do lists as you’d like. Smart Add even lets you add items to your lists in a single line, no matter how many details you’d like to include—Remember the Milk will sort things out for you. (If only it were that easy for the rest of life.)

Why we like it: Remember the Milk integrates easily with Gmail, Google Calendar, Evernote, Twitter, and other major applications to further organize your life.

Price: Free lite access; $40/year premium

WorkFlowy

While many to-do list apps consist of bright colors and bubbly animations, WorkFlowy gets down to business with a neutral, sophisticated interface. A clean screen allows you to throw basic bullet points into a list, then create sub-bullets underneath to further explain or break down a task. Marking a task as “done” is simple—just tap the task. It’s almost too easy.

Why we like it: It’s been said that the founders of Twitter and Slack use WorkFlowy exclusively. Hey, they’ve gotten this far . . . .

Price: Free

Wunderlist

Wunderlist is like a simplified and aesthetically pleasing version of all the above apps, combined. Like Todoist, Wunderlist lets you collaborate on lists so no one’s left behind. Like Remember the Milk, Wunderlist allows for easy one-line task addition; typing “pick up Dad from airport on Thursday at 3 PM” will automatically create a deadline with notifications so you don’t forget. Wunderlist’s clean and simple interface imitates WorkFlowy’s, and you can check off a task with a quick tap. Last of all—and not incredibly important, but fun nonetheless—users can change the background on their list, making the app customizable down to the last pixel.

Why we like it: If other to-do list apps come with too many bells and whistles, Wunderlist will give you the peace and space those apps won’t.

Price: Free lite access; $5/month pro

Any.do

Any.do seamlessly connects events, tasks, and notes across devices so you’ll never miss a single detail. Cal, a mini virtual assistant, handles your calendar and takes hand-free commands in-app. Any.do’s repeat reminders make it easy to remember to pay the rent each month or add to your blog weekly. Finally, a daily planner allows you to lay out your agenda each morning, making your day just a little less overwhelming. Any.do is an all-inclusive app for those who want the work done for them.

Why we like it: It’s easy to attach text or image “notes” to a specific task to refer to later.

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-list-apps/feed/0Top 10 Cameras for YouTube Videoshttps://bizwarriors.com/top-10-cameras-youtube-videos/
https://bizwarriors.com/top-10-cameras-youtube-videos/#respondTue, 02 Aug 2016 14:00:30 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=524Looking to start your own YouTube channel? It isn’t a bad idea—YouTube’s top content creators make several million dollars per year. But whether you’re starting from scratch or making a channel for your existing company, you’ll need a crystal-clear camera to bring your awesome content to YouTube. From simple webcams to the best equipment money […]

Looking to start your own YouTube channel? It isn’t a bad idea—YouTube’s top content creators make several million dollars per year. But whether you’re starting from scratch or making a channel for your existing company, you’ll need a crystal-clear camera to bring your awesome content to YouTube. From simple webcams to the best equipment money can buy, we’ve picked the top ten cameras for creating fresh, share-worthy YouTube videos.

Your Smartphone

Wait—don’t click out just yet. If you’re a beginning “YouTuber” whose videos will be mainly stationary, your smartphone (assuming it was purchased within the past year or so) will make for a surprisingly good video camera. But this doesn’t exempt you from making an initial investment. Smartphones need to be stabilized, and while you >could lean yours up against a stack of books, we recommend pairing a tripod with a smartphone mount for the ultimate low-cost setup. Amazon sells its Amazon Basics lightweight, 50-inch tripod for just $17 online. (It also comes in a nice brushed gold color and includes its own carrying case.) Paired with RetiCAM’s smartphone tripod mount, your phone will be YouTube-ready with minimal out-of-pocket costs.

Price: $17 for tripod; $25 for smartphone mount

Logitech HD Pro C920

A wonderful low-cost camera option for beginning YouTubers is an external webcam. External webcams offer much higher-quality video than those you find at the top of your laptop screens; they can also pan, focus, and zoom, giving you many of the core features of a full-on camera without the hefty cost. The Logitech HD Pro C920 is one of the best webcams money can buy. With 1080p and 30fps recording, plus automatic focus and zoom, it’s a great option for the price. Full disclosure: external webcams tend to record audio at extremely low quality, so leave room in your budget for an external microphone if you plan to take this route.

Price: $63

Genius WideCam F100

Price: $31

Need a little more space? The Genius WideCam F100’s ultra-wide lens offers a 120-degree recording range—if that isn’t enough, the camera manually pans 360 degrees on its mount. This webcam is perfect for those who need to record very close to their computers (like for tutorials and demos) while still showing the space around them. Like other external webcams, the Genius WideCam F100’s audio is unremarkable, so pair it with an external mic for the best YouTube video possible. And don’t expect 1080p from the Genius WideCam F100; its quality also only matches that of fisheye lenses.

Canon VIXIA HF R700

Made for beginners but loved even by professionals, the Canon VIXIA HF R700 is an inexpensive and easy-to-use portable camera. Its LCD controls screen is both intuitive and simple, clearing the learning curve and letting you get straight to business. The VIXIA HF R700 includes Highlight Priority Mode, giving your footage the same bright colors seen by the naked eye. It also offers both auto and manual frame zoom modes to keep your subject in easy view. Regardless of video skill level, the VIXIA HF R700 is a match made for all.

Price: $250

Sony Alpha a6000

In the market for a digital SLR? Check out the Sony Alpha a6000 first. This point-and-shoot camera provides quick autofocus, superb 24MP quality, and an outstanding internal light sensor, all with better portability than a DSLR. Photos and footage are pixel-perfect even in low light. If you’re feeling extra creative, the Alpha a6000 even offers interchangeable lenses. Loved our article on Top Video Editing Software for Windows and Mac? You’re in luck—the Sony Alpha a6000 works seamlessly with iMovie and Final Cut Pro.

Price: $550

Canon PowerShot G7 X

Another convenient point-and-shoot, the Canon PowerShot G7X is small but mighty. Its top-tier processor ensures quick autofocus and shutter speed, while the 20.2 megapixel high-sensitivity sensor grabs light for beautiful footage. The LCD screen tilts up to 180 degrees—perfect for vlogging. We love that the Canon PowerShot G7X takes just one tap to connect to your smartphone, where you can review your photos with the Canon Camera Connect application. If you plan on shooting in a variety of locations, this all-in-one camera is right for you.

Price: $650

Canon EOS Rebel T5i

Experienced and ready to move on up? The world of DSLR’s can be a confusing one—but not with the Canon EOS Rebel T5i. This camera produces crisp footage even in low lighting and shaky conditions. Live View Mode gives you the intuitive nature of a smartphone by showing your lens’s view in real time on a 3-inch LCD touchscreen. Functional, fast, and often breathtaking, the Canon EOS Rebel T5i is both rugged and luxurious.

Price: $600

Canon EOS 80D

If Canon’s EOS Rebel T5i isn’t versatile enough, their EOS 80D is the perfect upgrade. Its 45-point all cross-type autofocus system provides precise, speedy focus in virtually any kind of light. The Intelligent Viewfinder (complete with optional virtual parameters) provides a comprehensive view of the lens’s perspective, taking all the guesswork out of perfect composition. The Canon EOS 80D even has built-in Wi-Fi, so you can use the Canon Camera Connect app to wirelessly view and print photos with just a few taps.

Price: $1,199

Panasonic Lumix GH4

Known as the “videographer’s dream camera,” the Panasonic Lumix GH4 offers more features and settings than any other digital camera. Its durable magnesium alloy frame stands the test of time (and recording “out in the field”). Ultra-fast contrast autofocus produces vibrant video and bright photos. Need a still image for your YouTube video thumbnail? The Lumix GH4 allows you to crop a crisp image from any frame within your existing footage. Best of all, it’s the first digital camera to record 4K video.

Price: $1,299

Sony a7S II

The Sony a7S II is the best of the best. Ultra-high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, internal 4K video recording, and superior shooting stability make it a camera fit for the gods. The use of various lenses allows the Sony a7S II to capture a super-stable shot, even with high levels of movement. Fast Intelligent 169-point autofocus ensures reliable footage even in extremely low lighting. With 120fps HD recording, the Sony a7s isn’t just great for your YouTube channel—it’s also perfect for creating Hollywood’s next major blockbuster.

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/top-10-cameras-youtube-videos/feed/05 Ways to Make Money in the VR Space Nowhttps://bizwarriors.com/5-ways-make-money-vr-space-now/
https://bizwarriors.com/5-ways-make-money-vr-space-now/#respondSun, 31 Jul 2016 14:00:51 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=515Virtual reality is known as “one of the only high-tech industries that isn’t dominated by robots.” Luckily, it isn’t reserved just for developers and gamers. With little to no tech experience, you too can cut yourself a piece of the VR pie. Here’s how. Advertising Though somewhat indirect, advertising (or becoming a VR “advocate”) will […]

Virtual reality is known as “one of the only high-tech industries that isn’t dominated by robots.” Luckily, it isn’t reserved just for developers and gamers. With little to no tech experience, you too can cut yourself a piece of the VR pie. Here’s how.

Advertising

Though somewhat indirect, advertising (or becoming a VR “advocate”) will bring you a bit of extra revenue. Plenty of VR companies are looking for ways to raise awareness about VR products and content. By advertising VR on your blog, website, or social media page, you can earn a flat rate per ad (like $1,000 per Instagram post) or commission per product sold through your ad. Freefly VR, one of VR’s biggest headset manufacturers, seeks bloggers and site owners to advertise their products for a hefty 15 percent commission. And that’s just the beginning.

Editorial Content

If you truly love the world of VR, this one’s for you. Writing about VR allows you to immerse yourself in the VR “culture” without committing sums of money or an entire career to it upfront. Just starting a VR blog or an online tech platform will give you a creative outlet, a space to build authority, and a slow stream of revenue. Unsure what to write about? With so many VR products on the market, newer hobbyists are often lost on what to buy—product reviews can be their saving grace. Want to sell your readers on a product while providing captivating content to newbies? Describe that awesome virtual space battle you experienced yesterday. Even reporting on local VR businesses or meetups will catch curious readers. VR is a new industry, so plenty of people are eager to hear about it.

Investing

Investing is perhaps the most common way to become involved with any industry. It’s also a quick (but risky) method of introduction to VR. Startups hoping to break through the VR scene—like game developers, manufacturers, and graphic design firms—are constantly seeking seed funding through angel investments and crowdsourcing. If you’re experienced with computers but not VR, computer companies like Dell and Asus are beginning to manufacture “Oculus-ready” (or VR-ready) towers. Depending on your desired investment level and willingness to flirt with risk, there are countless options available for investment in the VR scene.

Custom Cardboard Headsets

Cardboard headsets are common among VR newcomers. They’re also like strange little billboards—hundreds of companies are beginning to print their own logos and patterns on cardboard headsets in order to market to niche demographics. (This year, Coachella gave every ticket-buyer a Coachella-themed headset from which to view photos of the festival.) Handing out custom-printed cardboard headsets at events—or giving them away with special purchases—may help to introduce crowds to VR while simultaneously advertising your business. Sites like Unofficial Cardboard print and ship full-color custom headsets with a three- to four-week turnaround.

360° YouTube Channel

YouTube is a lucrative “field” to start, but what about its new 360° video capabilities? Now, select YouTube videos show more than just what’s in front of the camera, offering a complete 360-degree view of the camera’s environment instead. YouTubers from around the world are hopping on the VR bandwagon, creating rollercoaster simulation videos, virtual home and city tours, online concert experiences, and more. YouTube’s 360° videos are available on Google Chrome and on YouTube’s mobile apps, providing access even to those without VR headsets. If you’ve been hoping to launch a YouTube channel but haven’t known where to start, this may just be your niche.

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VR may be a budding industry for tech geeks and dreamers, but they can’t hoard all the fun. By trying any of these five possibilities, you may just be able to make your wildest dreams—virtual or otherwise—come true.

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/5-ways-make-money-vr-space-now/feed/0Top 5 Facebook Ad Tools That Will Make (and Save) You Moneyhttps://bizwarriors.com/top-5-facebook-ad-tools-will-make-save-money/
https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-facebook-ad-tools-will-make-save-money/#respondFri, 29 Jul 2016 14:00:27 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=504Think your business is above Facebook advertising? Think again—retailers experience an average 152% ROI through Facebook ads, with higher results for mobile-exclusive campaigns. With well over a billion users, Facebook is shaping up to be one of the best online spaces to advertise. But how will you manage complicated campaigns? We’ve picked our top Facebook […]

Think your business is above Facebook advertising? Think again—retailers experience an average 152% ROI through Facebook ads, with higher results for mobile-exclusive campaigns. With well over a billion users, Facebook is shaping up to be one of the best online spaces to advertise. But how will you manage complicated campaigns? We’ve picked our top Facebook advertising tools that will help you make (and save) money over time.

Facebook Ad Manager

If you’re one of Facebook’s 1.5 billion users, you’ve probably seen Facebook ads on your news feed. You know they’re advertisements (and not just articles posted by pages you’ve liked) when you see the gray “Sponsored” stamp at the top of the post. Those ads aren’t reserved for major brands—in fact, if you have $5 in your pocket and an established Facebook page, you can start advertising on Facebook now.

Starting a Facebook ad campaign gives you full access to the Facebook Ad Manager, a web browser application that allows you to post, edit, and budget for ads whenever and however you’d like. Facebook also offers an Ad Manager application for both iPhone and Android. These two apps provide the most direct route to scheduling Facebook ads, and may be best to learn if you’re a beginner to Facebook advertising. Facebook Ad Manager lets you track your campaign’s performance in real time, post new ads (with minor photo editing included), edit existing ads, adjust ad budgets, and compose campaign schedules on your desktop or mobile device. With just a few quick Facebook ads, you can raise awareness about your brand, bring traffic to your website, and drive sales in just a matter of days.

Price: Free

Hootsuite Ads

Hootsuite Ads (just a small bite of the ever-popular Hootsuite platform) helps you promote your most successful Facebook posts to a wider audience. You start by choosing a goal for your campaign—like increasing website traffic or building a Facebook following—and then siting back while Hootsuite picks existing posts that best match your objective. Simply select your favorite post, build a quick budget, measure duration, and pick an audience to get your campaign started. The Hootsuite Ads dashboard provides a clean space from which you can view and edit campaigns, even across multiple Facebook pages. Hootsuite Ads takes a huge chunk of the pain out of Facebook advertising.

Price: Free

Qwaya

If Hootsuite Ads is great for beginners, Qwaya is best for intermediate- and expert-level marketers and entrepreneurs. A/B testing allows you to compare campaign results on a single Facebook page, allowing you to build the campaign with the highest return for your business. Qwaya learns your audience and duration preferences over time, making your future campaigns easier and faster to build. Tracking, analytics, and post scheduling are all integrated into the platform. You can even protect your budget by pausing a campaign once it exceeds a certain dollar amount. Qwaya is rich in features and a little tough to navigate at first—but trust us, the learning curve is worth it.

AdEspresso

Your time is valuable, so using Facebook Ads effectively shouldn’t take so much effort—that is, according to AdEspresso. This handy tool provides actionable suggestions in real time based on the success of past campaigns—it’s like having a 24-hour virtual marketing advisor. Its analytics only provide the data you really need, so you won’t get lost in boring data tables and bar graphs that don’t matter. AdEspresso also supports CRM integration, saving you time (and hassle) in the long run. AdEspresso is the perfect tool if you know how to use Facebook Ads, but don’t want to do all of the heavy lifting.

Price: $49 base; $149 premium; $299 elite

Social Ads Tool

Social Ads Tool was built for the marketing professional. With real time insights (like conversion goal and funnel analysis) and extensive reporting on your internal dashboard, it’s hard to deny Social Ads Tool’s almost life-saving capabilities. Automation helps to boost productivity and sales through Google shopping feed integration, 1st and 3rd party uploads, automatic campaign limits, and more. In it to win it? Social Ads Tool lets you automatically modify delivery based on your competitor’s spending behavior. The sky’s the limit with this one.

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-facebook-ad-tools-will-make-save-money/feed/0Top 5 Reasons Startups Failhttps://bizwarriors.com/top-5-reasons-startups-fail/
https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-reasons-startups-fail/#respondWed, 27 Jul 2016 14:00:47 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=513Whether 90 percent of startups actually fail is a popular topic of debate. What’s well-known, however, is that there are a multitude of reasons why many startups crumble, with a few culprits guiltier than others. The good news? You can save your business from the doom and gloom by understanding the top 5 reasons startups […]

Whether 90 percent of startups actually fail is a popular topic of debate. What’s well-known, however, is that there are a multitude of reasons why many startups crumble, with a few culprits guiltier than others. The good news? You can save your business from the doom and gloom by understanding the top 5 reasons startups fail.

No Market Need

Here’s a harsh truth: everyone thinks their product idea is cool. But how many unborn products actually solve a major market need?

In order to sell a product, you’ll need a population to market it to. Highly universal populations (like “cyclists”) are tricky to grasp; slightly narrowed ones (like “road cyclists on a budget”) are easier. Tiny populations (like “road cyclists who dislike wearing helmets but are totally fine wearing cool baseball caps”) are often too small to be worth your time and money . . . but just in case, don’t steal my idea for a hard-yet-fashionable baseball cap that protects against head injuries.

Starting your own business doesn’t only require identifying a target population. You have to ensure that population is experiencing the same pain point you are. If no one but you wants or needs a baseball cap helmet, you’re out of luck.

Capital

Duh, you’re probably thinking. Lack of capital is the biggest reason many businesses don’t come to fruition in the first place. But lack of capital isn’t the only money-related reason many startups fail. Indeed, too much money (usually a result of excessive seed funding) can make entrepreneurs and their startup teams careless. Excess capital often sends budgets out the door in favor of flashy offices, extra advertising, and speedy hiring. Because hey, won’t it be worthwhile in the long run?

Of course, insufficient capital is a common problem as well. Bootstrapping just isn’t an option for many more “expensive” startups, forcing owners to rely on loans and crowdsourcing. Debt deepens until entrepreneurs have dug themselves into holes, and even carefully-budgeted savings and crowdsourcing cash burn away.

So if every route results in a dead end, where do you go? Caution goes a long way. Cushioning your budget—that is, overestimating how much you’ll spend on a certain category—and stashing away cash for the winter can help save your business from financial demise. And when you find yourself with a few extra dollars, don’t let them burn a hole in your pocket. Circulate revenue back into your business, at least until you become confident that your startup has a steady flow of income.

Scaling Prematurely

Few businesses have become household names overnight. Those who attempt to achieve such a feat are usually knocked back on their heels because they aren’t truly prepared for the big “boom” they aimed for. Essentially, most businesses will fail, not scale, when they aren’t yet ready to do the latter.

There’s no single formula for determining when your startup is ready to scale, but a few factors tend to come into play. Some recommend piecing together the perfect team before attempting to expand. Others say to perfect your company’s mission statement and internal ethos. Guaranteeing dependable, positive cash flow is a common one. Whether you’re racing the competition or rushing to take advantage of a new industry, stop and take a breath—you have more time than you think.

No Business Plan

Hope and faith are essential to the startup process, but they don’t constitute a business plan. If you want anything to lean on when the going gets tough, you’ll need to write a few things down. Business plans are also crucial for those seeking seed funding from investors otherwise unconvinced.

Don’t freak out just yet. Plenty of entrepreneurs are moving away from the full-stack business plan and opting for the one-pager instead. In the book I share with my brother (Small Business, Big Vision), we dive deep into what makes or breaks a one-page business plan, but to start, you only need to know a few things. Your one-page business plan should absolutely fit onto a single page, regardless of how many visuals or paragraphs are involved. You should also be able to convey your target audience, business model, mission statement, and required funding in only so many words. Being able to consolidate your business summary will prevent you from stumbling over the multitude of hurdles startups tend to experience during their first few years.

The Wrong Team

Some say the wrong team is the only reason startups fail, and that any other “cause” is just a symptom. If you think about it, it’s kind of true: uncoordinated teams can end up wasting capital, botching a business plan, or pushing a startup to scale sooner than it should.

Either way, the wrong startup team often sparks a slow and grueling demise. And it isn’t just a hiring issue—even existing teams can spoil from the inside out. Start by being super picky with whom you hire and cultivating an honest, open work environment, even if that means firing fast. When the time comes for you to make executive decisions, don’t let your team find out on their own. Finally, bring doughnuts to the office every now and then. It can only help to boost morale.

Your startup doesn’t have the time (or money) to make and learn from every mistake. Being aware of the top 5 reasons startups fail may just save your business.

]]>https://bizwarriors.com/top-5-reasons-startups-fail/feed/0Steem: A Way to Finally Get Paid for Your Awesome Contenthttps://bizwarriors.com/steem-way-finally-get-paid-awesome-content/
https://bizwarriors.com/steem-way-finally-get-paid-awesome-content/#respondMon, 25 Jul 2016 14:00:04 +0000http://bizwarriors.com/?p=579Did you miss the Bitcoin wave? Couldn’t figure out how to make such a new and complex system work for you? Don’t worry—there’s a new cryptocurrency in town, and it’s known as Steem. Steem isn’t just another Bitcoin. Though it’s a blockchain system that can be mined through your CPU, it’s also more than just […]

]]>Did you miss the Bitcoin wave? Couldn’t figure out how to make such a new and complex system work for you? Don’t worry—there’s a new cryptocurrency in town, and it’s known as Steem.

Steem isn’t just another Bitcoin. Though it’s a blockchain system that can be mined through your CPU, it’s also more than just a currency. It’s a social platform—one that rewards users who create and curate high-quality content. Like on Reddit, users post articles to be “upvoted” (or curated) by others. Upvotes equal tips, and in most cases, more upvotes means more money. It’s like getting paid for every “like” your status gets on Facebook.

But not all upvotes are created equal. Certain users have more “Steem Power” (SP) than others; the higher SP they have, the more money their upvotes will dish out. SP makes up half of every tip, meaning for each upvote your article receives, you’re getting SP and Steem Dollars at the same time. The more you post (and the more people love your content), the more power you have to tip other users. You can also buy SP Units online, giving you a bit of stake in Steem, Inc..

Steem was launched in May of 2016, so it’s still very much in its experimental phase. Changes are being made to Steemit (the Steem currency social platform) every week—in fact, the site now requires a Facebook or Reddit account to sign up. And while there doesn’t seem to be an official Steem guide, plenty of Steem geniuses are coming to the rescue with their own handy how-to’s (on Steemit, of course).

From an economic perspective, what makes Steem any better than blogging on traditional platforms or selling pre-written articles to publications? Rather than relying on ad revenue or flat-rate article sales, Steemit users are paid based on quality of content. With any background and little to no blogging experience, you can still earn thousands on Steem.

Wait . . . thousands?

Believe it or not, some Steemit users are earning upwards of $10,000 per article they post online. User “Guerrint” earned over $26,000 after posting Steemit’s very first makeup tutorial (subsequently, a male user followed in with a parody tutorial that generated $9,000). Some newbies are even earning thousands for their #introduceyourself posts, where users do just that, writing about their lives and explaining what they plan on using Steemit to publish. A little more lucrative than blogging, right?

Even though Steemit is a newer platform, the likelihood of a decent payout is usually in your favor—since curators (AKA other users) aren’t upvoting articles at their own expense, they’re more likely to tip your post. But how do you make sure you aren’t left with just a few pennies to your username? Posting original articles is a no-brainer, since curators only upvote fresh and thoughtful content. Transparency is a factor, too, as the community tends to value new perspectives and believable stories. Look to any user-written guide, and you’ll find that most Steemit experts recommend writing what you know and devoting some of your time to curating new content. Support the Steemit community, and they’ll support you right back.

Normal blog post guidelines apply to Steemit articles, too. Proofread your content for spelling and grammar errors, and divvy up your post into shorter paragraphs. Engage with users who comment on your article. Don’t make yourself look reluctant to be there, or even just there for the money. Instead, focus on what you’d like to provide to the community. (“I can’t wait to share my travels with you guys!” or “I’m here to help explain the concept of cryptocurrency over a series of posts.”)

As previously mentioned, Steemit is constantly evolving to meet users’—and the Steem system’s—needs. At the moment, Steem lacks internal editing (the ability to bold, italicize, underline, or otherwise format text), a notification system, or post bookmarking. Steemit is rich with feature suggestion threads and new ideas, and as the platform gains popularity, it’s expected that many of these features will become a part of the system. But as more users join, the competition for visibility increases . . . so get in while you can.